In general, in a factory-automated production line for assembling an industrial product, a transport system, which is configured to transport parts and the like within the production line or among a plurality of stations along the production line, is used.
In recent years, as this transport system, there is often used, due to its superiority in production efficiency, a transport system in which a transport line is divided into a plurality of control zones in each of which a control apparatus is located and between which a carriage is caused to travel.
Such a transport system is generally formed of a plurality of lower-order controllers configured to control the respective control zones and a higher-order controller connected by a communication system configured to couple to the plurality of lower-order controllers.
In a transport system disclosed in Patent Literature 1, stators of linear motors are located at predetermined intervals along a guide rail on which carriers are caused to travel, and a movable end of each linear motor is mounted to the carrier. The stator is excited by a motor driving device to generate a driving force or a braking force in the carrier.
A transport system disclosed in Patent Literature 2 includes a higher-order control section configured to centrally control a plurality of carriers that travel a transport path controlled by a plurality of control zones and a lower-order control section configured to control the carrier that travels the control zone. The lower-order control section controls a speed of the carrier within the own control zone based on a target average speed of the carrier that travels the own control zone and distance information on the own control zone.